M A I N   N E W S

3 held for carrying RDX
From Our Correspondent

NEW DELHI, Jan 17 — Fear of unclaimed objects being explosives has hit the Capital once again, with the recovery of RDX from a toy and the arrest of three persons, including a Pakistan national.

The memories of the series of transistor bomb blasts which rocked Delhi in the 1980s came to the fore with the recovery of 860 gm of highly explosive material in an innocuous looking object.

The police has once again issued a warning to the public that “if any toy is lying abandoned, inform the police immediately. It may be an explosive”, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP Mr Ashok Chand said.

Similar warnings were issued by the police when a series of transistor bombs exploded in the Capital.

The arrested persons were identified as Abdul Rasheed alias Sheeda of Lahore, Aas Mohammad and Mohammad Ismail of Gurgaon.

Abdul Rasheed lived in the Jama Masjid area of the walled city. He received a consignment a few days back and wanted to deliver it to his contacts. He took a bus from Red Fort for Dhaula Kuan where his contacts, Aas Mohammad and Mohammad Ismail were waiting but they were arrested as soon as the Pakistan national got down from the bus.

The police recovered 860 gms of RDX, 2 ABCD timers, and four electronic detonators from them.

Abdul Rasheed was earlier arrested in the Capital on charges of being involved in a racket of fake currency notes in 1998. He was released on bail later.

During interrogation Rasheed disclosed that he came to India in 1992 and worked as a smuggler till 1994. When he went back to Pakistan he was contacted by the ISI authorities to work for them in India. Thereafter he obtained a passport on a new name, Khalid, and entered the country in 1998. He was assigned the job of circulating fake currency.

He was directed by his contact in Pakistan, Tariq Bhatt.

He received three toys recently having explosive substance concealed in them. He was directed to deliver the toys to Aas Mohammad and Ismail.